This is the 15493rd most frequent Russian word.
предшествовало
"Предшествовало" means "preceded" in English.
In this sentence, 'предшествовало' indicates that numerous discussions took place prior to the event.
Этому событию предшествовало множество обсуждений.
This event was preceded by numerous discussions.
Here, 'предшествовало' is used to denote that meticulous planning occurred before the company's growth.
Развитию компании предшествовало тщательное планирование.
The company's growth was preceded by meticulous planning.
In this context, 'предшествовало' means that studying old methods came before formulating innovative ideas.